Cruise ship entertainment is back and better than ever, writes cruise expert Jane Archer
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I can’t quite believe this, but here I am gulping down a quick snack in the buffet on Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas, so that I can get to the theatre early to bag my favourite seat for tonight’s performance of The Wizard of Oz.
I’ve never been a fan of production shows on cruise ships. But I’m not up there with the critics who equate cruise ship entertainment with second-rate singers and shows, either – a view that I think is unfair, and very much out of date.
These days, most singers and dancers on ships are a talented performers, while the shows themselves cost the cruise lines hundreds of thousands of pounds to stage and are often choreographed by leading names in the world of showbiz.
And lines have been ramping things up in the past few years, securing the rights to stage Broadway and West End shows, while deploying expensive new technology to ensure the shows are even better than you’d see in London theatres.
MSC Rock Circus
Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have staged great productions of musicals such as Grease,Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots, while Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is currently playing on Norwegian Prima. The likes of Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line, meanwhile, have installed banks of high-resolution LED screens in their theatres to provide spectacular backdrops to the action on the stage.
In Carnival Cruise Line’s Rock Revolution – currently playing on Mardi Gras, Carnival Radiance and Carnival Panorama – a swarm of drones ‘dances’ around the singers. MSC Cruises lays on shows filled with aerialists and high-flying stunts in specially designed Carousel lounges that seat the audience around the stage.
Cunard has teamed up with West End theatre producer David Pugh to stage an adaptation of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter on Queen Anne when it launches in May.
MSC Rock Circus
Entertainment upgrades
But today’s entertainment at sea goes way beyond song-and-dance routines in theatres, with high divers, ice skaters, deck parties and guest entertainers who often do the rounds on many different cruise lines.
The divers and ice skaters can be found on Royal Caribbean ships. The former thrill audiences with their daredevil antics in the aqua-theatres on the line’s largest vessels, with the latter wowing passengers as they whirl and twirl around on ice rinks.
Shows vary but don’t be surprised to see stunning light effects and quick-change artists who skate into a tent in one costume and exit the other side in a different one. Holland America Line has a Music Walk onboard Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam created in partnership with BB King Productions, Rolling Stone and Billboard.
In terms of guest entertainers, think singers, pianists, comedians and magicians
Passengers can dip in and out of specially designed venues playing live blues, rock (the bands come complete with shades and ripped jeans) and chart favourites. Disney Cruise Line is the king of deck parties, with Mickey, Minnie and the gang out in force on the day one sailaway and Marvel at Sea-themed bashes under the stars.
In terms of guest entertainers, think singers, pianists, comedians and magicians. I’ve seen them all – and even a group of actors stage a Whitehall farce. Usually these acts are flown in to perform for a few days, then head off to be replaced by new talent, keeping the entertainment different and fresh.
In March, on board Princess Cruises’ new Sun Princess, it was standing room only for comedian Robbie Printz and comedy juggler Goronwy Thom, who had audiences in fits with his madcap anything-can-go-wrong (and usually does) act. He was replaced by a ventriloquist, whom I wasn’t looking forward to, as a result of too many memories of Rod Hull and Emu. But Gareth Oliver aced it, picking passengers at random to be his ‘dummy’.
Disney Cruise Line deck party
Icon of the Seas’ Wizard of Oz
Back on Icon of the Seas, I’ve managed to nab the seat I wanted and it’s not at the back of the theatre, so I can sneak off, like I might’ve done in the past. I’d caught 30 minutes of The Wizard of Oz the previous day and was blown away, so I’ve chosen a spot at a high table in the centre of the auditorium, giving me a perfect view of the stage.
The show is 90 minutes long – bucking the trend of paring running times back to half an hour or so – but it was worth every minute. The stage sets are excellent, as are the performers – the actors auditioned for the various roles they play (23-year-old British actor, Ruby Dollner, who played Dorothy, is in her first job after studying at the Brighton Academy) and are on board only to play those parts.
There’s plenty of comedy and I love the scene where Dorothy’s house is carried off by the tornado (I’m not giving anything away but it was aerialist technology that, for once, made sense). The way in which the yellow brick road was created on stage was also clever.
I even forgot that Toto, Dorothy’s dog, was not a real dog, but a puppet being ‘worked’ by a man running along behind. It’s a tough gig for him if he has to do all the yapping. Or maybe that was the dog after all? I never did find out.
The Wizard of Oz, Icon of the Seas
PICTURES: Steve Gregson; Christian Ekren; Michel Verdure; Roy Riley, sbw-photo
Selling tips
❂ Use the shows to add an extra dimension to your sales pitch. Non-cruisers might not be aware of the quality and variety of entertainment offered.
❂ Good seats to watch a West End or Broadway musical cost at least £100. On cruise ships, there’s nothing extra to pay.
❂ Shows on the ships do change. Always check with the cruise line before booking if there is one your client is desperate to see.
Read more
7 of the best cruise ship shows to see now
What cruise lines offer for young children
Take a leap: how to find a new niche in travel
How to plan a no-fly holiday in Europe
